Thread: R251 retrofit of Comand 2.5 NTG

Hello all.

As you might know I have just retrofited a ntg 2.5 comand in a W164 with Harman Kardon. It was just plug n play when it comes to sound. Dind NOT need any new AMP or retrofit cables for sound.

Now I have a W251 with the same setup and no sound. Is it the same problem here as the W211 that this one needs the AMP? What cable kit? It has phone.

When you enter the sound meny you can activate 7-logic but it wont stay on. And treble and base can NOT be adjusted.

Any help would be super.

I think you were lucky with the W164. But if the part numbers are all the same for the HK Amp then check the programming.

You were very lucky, as if you replace W164 NTG2 by NTG2.5 you must add subwoofer wiring and subwoofer amplifier at least. My suspicion is that you dont have the subwoofer working properly.

With NTG2.5 in ML, GL, R, SL, E, CLS there is a low-level stereo output from the NTG2.5 main amplifier to the separate subwoofer amplifer.

Did you bypass all the no-longer-used optical components in the R251 ? You say it has phone, if the NTG2 phone controller is still on the loop then things won't work.


Richard

I have read your post again and realised you didn;t even have to change the amplifier.

The older NTG2 amps in ML don't work with the NTG2.5 - we helped a customer change his NTG2 amp to NTG2.5 and add subwoofer amplifier later.

Maybee the newest NTG2 amps do work with NTG2.5, or the NTG2.5 amps work with NTG2 and are fitted to later ML ?

What age is your ML, and do you happen to know the part number of the amp in your ML?

Cheers

Richard

PS, also, your head unit could be set to force sound via internal amplifier? (one of the developer mode codings)

The ML is the first modell 2005. Import from the US. Nothing where done..I just replaced it and it worked. And the SUB sure works fine. There no such thing as luck in this. Eighter it works or not so it is very mysterious. Could it be that the US comand is different then so the amp works with the new NTG 2.5 ?

Well..That one is working just fine so...What do I need then for the W251? Both a amp AND a sub amp? Dont remember I needed 2 amps when I did my W211 and W219?

Oh..The phone is the one with a little conector in the armrest where you conect a viseeo bluetooth unit.

1st thing i'd do is optically bypass (with a joiner or a loop tool) everything you know does not work with NTG2.5
a) NTG2 phone system
b) NTG2 linguatronic system
c) NTG2 Rear Seat Entertainment
d) NTG2 TV tuner

On a ML, (a) and (b) are under left rear seat, (c) under right rear seat, (d) in boot on left at rear. I imagine R class are in similar positions but of course the seats are very different.

The EU ML that I worked on last week was 2006.

The E class definetly needed subwoofer amplifer, small square one about 12cm x 10cm x 5cm high with a fan.

R

OK..I will bypass.

And then I only need the sub AMP and cables?

On the car I looked at it needed a new main amp, an extra wiring loom and the subwoofer amplifier. [and ML/G/R amp is different to E class amp and there a ML amps on eBay USA quite a lot - search 'mercedes GL amplifier']

And of course the head unit needed coding to tell it not to send the audio via the internal amp and for the MOST bus to be on and the ring order set up correctly (and then a reset done after coding that)

Cheers

Richard

OK..So it is 2 amps. It is already programed. Otherwise the 7-logic option would not be there in the meny. Right?

Link to the needed wire set I need?